Square Enix’s Final Fantasy Type-0 for the PSP was never released in the west, so Final Fantasy Type-0 HD on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One represents a second chance for western fans of the series to get their hands on this game. Read the rest of this entry »

To go over the basics of Disgaea‘s mechanics seems like a tremendous waste of words; it’s a wacky strategy RPG series with very large numbers and too many quirks to list. If you recognize the name, you probably already know how it plays. What Disgaea fans are wondering, of course, is what new things Disgaea 5 brings to the table. Luckily, the TGS show floor demo did a good job of highlighting some new features. Read the rest of this entry »

Bravely Second picks up some time after the first game, and though the original cast are all still alive and well, a new cast of characters takes their place in the demo (though Agnes takes Airy’s place of offering advice on the menu screen). Read the rest of this entry »

Square Enix recently announced a service for streaming games from its back catalogue for play on tablets and smartphones, called Dive In. The service will launch on October 9 in Japan with Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XIII and Season of Mystery: The Cherry Blossom Murders available for rent at varying prices. Dive In was available to demo on the TGS show floor, with both Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy XIII queued up and ready to go, so I attempted to test both. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m sure a lot of people are approaching Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII with the same trepidation I was. The first two games were worth playing for their solid battle systems, though opinions on the merits of the other aspects vary widely. But on the Tokyo Game Show floor, for better or worse, Square Enix seems to have hooked me in for a third go-round in the world of Pulse and Cocoon. Read the rest of this entry »

Square Enix is re-releasing Final Fantasy IV: The After Years on iOS. It’s a remake of a cellphone game that was ported to consoles, and now it’s coming back to its mobile roots. But phones have acquired touchscreens since The After Years was first developed. I took a spin with the TGS demo on an iPad to see how the game fared on a tablet. Read the rest of this entry »

If you clicked this link expecting a detailed play-by-play of the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster demo, sorry. In true, half-assed RPGLand fashion, I will come out and say that there isn’t much to say. It’s Final Fantasy X. In HD. The end. I played X during my crack at the demo, but I also watched someone play the X-2 demo while I waited in line, and can say that that also sure was Final Fantasy X-2, in HD. The 3 main girls were obviously more detailed than side characters and enemies, and seeing them together was a little weird, like they were from different games, but that might have been just the fact that I was a few feet further from the screen than I would have been, were I at home.

Originally a Korean exclusive, MapleStory: Unmei no Shoujo is being brought to Japan in 2014 by Sega. This is the second portable take on MapleStory, a cutesy platforming MMORPG by Wizet that’s been running in some form for over a decade now. From the looks of the demo, MapleStory: Unmei no Shoujo does a good job of translating the gameplay elements of the MMO into an easy-to-play portable adventure. Read the rest of this entry »

Final Fantasy XIII-2, sequel to the polarizing Final Fantasy XIII, was on display at the Tokyo Game Show this year. I took a shot at the demo to see if anything’s changed. Read the rest of this entry »

I was fortunate enough to be able to revisit Ni no Kuni at the Level-5 booth this year, before it hits store shelves this Christmas. The demo I played last year was there again, Level-5 added a new scenario with more game mechanics, and had real copies of the Magic Master spellbook on hand to be used with the demo. I had a great time with last year’s demo, so I was looking forward to more Ni no Kuni. Sadly, the demo experience didn’t hold up as well this time around. Read the rest of this entry »

Both Heath and Janelle played the Level-5 PS3 title Ni no Kuni at length. The booth featured two different demos, with Janelle tackling one and Heath jumping on the other. Both impressions are here. Read the rest of this entry »

Fable III‘s demo set the Hero near the entrace to a dungeon set in a ruined temple, or a cave, or a crypt, or something. At first, it felt like Fable III played much like Fable II. The dog was there, the golden fairy dust quest trail on the ground was there, the magic aiming system was there. I started off into the dungeon, rifling through some bookshelves, admiring the scenery and playing with the dog. Read the rest of this entry »

Developed by Hamster and shown at the Konami booth, Arms’ Heart was touted as a “Dark Steampunk RPG.” While the demo showed that Arms’ Heart is at least one of those things, it only offered a clear picture of the game’s battle system. I didn’t walk away from the demo feeling like I had a good grasp of the game. If I had, I might be less inclined to compare it to the Shadow Hearts series. Read the rest of this entry »

Aya Brea is back in her long-awaited third game, The Third Birthday. While not technically going under the Parasite Eve moniker, let’s be honest, everyone knows that’s what this is. Read the rest of this entry »